Recompense
by KymberlyBlack
Summary: Aubrey Sutcliffe moved to Gotham to attend college. After a slight hiccup, her great Uncle Alfred steps in and helps her out. Focused entirely on her academic studies, she has no idea what the real Gotham is like. Until it finds her.
1. Chapter 1

**I've been working on this for a smidge. Let me know what you guys think.**

"Daphne, she will be fine. Gotham university isn't very far from Wayne Manor, I will keep an eye on her. Yes, I promise."

Alfred hung up the phone and turned to see Bruce watching him.

"My niece Daphne is in a state of panic," Alfred poured Bruce his coffee. "Aubrey, my great niece, is attenting Gotham University this fall. Despite her mothers protests. I have promised to keep an eye on her."

Bruce sipped his coffee, nodding.

"Is she staying in the dorms?"

"I believe undergraduates are supposed to, but between Daphne and my brother Wilfred's donations and constant beratement, she will be staying in an apartment building off campus."

"When does she arrive?"

"She's here already sir," Alfred smiled, knowing his niece's tenaciousness. "She has set up her apartment, secured a job in a near by coffee shop."

"That was quick," Bruce nodded.

"Daphne can be...how should I put this?" Alfred paused in making Bruce's breakfast. "A bit, overbearing when it comes to Aubrey."

"I didn't call back because I was at work."

"I can't keep my phone on me while I'm on the clock."

"No, I wasn't ignoring you."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my phone as my mother went on and on, eating up my entire break.

"I've got to go now, my break is up. I'll call you when I'm done." I hung the phone up and sighed.

"Aubrey, someone's up here to see you," my manager Eric called back. I put my phone back in my little locker and moved towards the front, smoothing out my skirt as I went. The coffee shop was high end, white long sleeve button down shirts with a little black bow tie and a black pencil skirt was my uniform. Men had the same, except black dress slacks and a black tie. Tights were optional but needed to be cleared with the manager first. Black flats or heels. Sneakers were not allowed. Hair and makeup was a must, no exception.

My heels clicked as I walked, I learned quick if I wore heels my tips doubled and sometimes tripled as compared to when I wore flats. I entered the front, seeing we were slowing down. It was 11:30, so the morning rush was long gone. I looked to Eric and he pointed to an older gentleman at the end of the counter. It took me a moment to place him. He was older, his hair more salt and pepper, but it was him. Alfred.

"Uncle Alfred!" I smiled as I rounded the corner to hug him.

"Aubrey, my dear," he smiled looking down at me. And then he spied my outfit. "This is an interesting establishment."  
"Don't tell mom," I blurted out. "It's not as bad as it looks. Plus it's good money."  
"You're mother asked me to look after you," he sighed looking around. "So perhaps we could have supper after your shift is over?"

I faltered for a moment, I already had an argument forming in my head, reasons why this place was good, why he shouldn't tell my mother. But he blind sighted me with his offer.

"That would be great," I smiled, trying to recover.

"I'll pick you up," he leaned down and kissed my cheek before walking away.

"Wait! You don't even know what time I'm done!" I called out to him but he never paused. He just walked out the door.

"Aubrey!" Eric waved at me and I knew it was time to get back to work.

"Welcome to Aphrodisiac, how can I service you?" I asked the short gentleman who stepped up to my register.

"Well aren't you a pretty little thing," the man spoke with an english accent. He adjusted his monicle and studied me. "Girls, ain't she a pretty one?" I looked behind him to see two women, one was blonde with an edgy haircut and a lot of clevage showing, the other was african american and dressed in business attire.

"Right gorgeous this one is," the blonde girl spoke up, her accent english as well.

"Very attractive," the african american girl nodded.

"Thank you. Is there anything I can get for you today?" I asked, keeping my voice low, sultry, like we were taught.

"Three cups of Kopi Luwak, cream in two."  
I kept my face schooled, those were eighty dollar coffees.

"Will you be drinking with us?"

"To go love," the man winked at me.

"Two hundred and forty dollars," I smiled. He pulled three one hundred dollar bills and set them on the counter.

"Keep the change," he grinned.

"Thank you sir."  
The barista behind me, Garrett, was almost finished with the order. Each counter person had a barista assigned to them. Garrett had been here the longest, so he was assigned to me because I was the newest.

"Here you are Mr. Cobblepot," Garrett set the man's order down on the counter.

"Good man," Cobblepot nodded and slid Garrett a twenty.

~Five o'clock

"You did well," Garrett nodded as he sat down on the bench next to me in the locker room. I slid my heels off and sighed, rubbing my feet. I would have to invest in better ones.

"Thanks," I nodded as I stood up, my feet still feeling like I was wearing the heels. "Here," I handed him some cash.

"What's this?" he asked, reaching out to take the money.

"Half of today's tips," I looked at him. He was my barista, it only made sense to split the tips with him.

He laughed and handed me back the money.

"You don't want it?" I asked, confused.

"It's a nice gesture Aubrey, but I get my own tips."

"Yeah, but not as much as me."  
"You'd be surprised," he opened his locker and took out a wad of cash.

"Oh," I took the money back.

"This is Gotham Aubrey, not Greenwich. You need to look out for number one."

I nodded, grabbing my street clothes out of my locker. Garrett starting changing right there, which I was use to now. Even some of the girls did it. But I was still a little weary about changing in front of strange men. So I grabbed my stuff and headed for one of the stalls.

"What's that tattoo of?" I asked as I closed the door to my stall. I had seen the dark shape on his forearm as he was taking off his shirt.

"A penguin," he replied after a few moments. I opened the door, finished changing.

"Really?" I moved closer to see it. It did resemble a penguin, but a very simplistic version. "Neat."

He grinned, shaking his head.

"Are you on tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yeah, you and me again."

"Cool, I'm out. See you tomorrow."  
He nodded shutting his locker as I left the room. It felt wonerful to not be wearing heels. Skinny jeans and thigh high brown boots with a long sleeved asymmetrical black sweater had me feeling much more comfortable. I waved goodbye to Eirc who was counting down the drawers as I exited the front doors.

"Aubrey," I looked up to see my Uncle Alfred standing by a nice car.

"Hi," I smiled as I walked over to him.

"Night Aubrey!" I heard someone yell and turned to see it was Garrett. He waved his arm at me and I waved back.

"Night!"

Alfred opened the door for me and I got in. He slid in next to me and the car began to move.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Busy, but that's how I like it, it makes the day go by so much faster."

"And no doubt the tips are better."  
"They are great. One man gave me a sixty dollar tip."

"Do you make good money on tips?"

"It depends on who I am working with. Every counter person is assigned a barista who fills the orders quickly as they are being ordered. I split my tips with my barista, it's only fair. But I've been working with Garrett for the last few days, as part of a training program. And he makes his own tips, so he won't take any of mine."

"How very kind of him," Alfred smiled. But to me he looked distant, like he was thinking.

"Penny for your thoughts," I smiled at him.

"If you ever need anything Aubrey, I want you to call me."

His sudden serious demenor took me by surprise.

"Of course," I nodded. If I needed something I would call him. Why wouldn't I? He was the closest family around.

"Anything Aubrey. If it's trouble, if you need money, whatever it may be. I want you to call me. No matter the time or place."  
"I will," I promised, unsure what was happening right now. A few moments ago we were talking about my job.

"Is something wrong Uncle Alfred?" I asked, getting a weird feeling.

"Gotham is unlike any other city in the world. That is to say, there is trouble on every street corner, in every business, and every home. But there is also good here. It is harder to see, but it shines brighter because of all the darkness."

I nodded my head.

"I promise if anything ever happens, I'll call."

He nodded his head once.

"Enough of this melancoloy, where would you like to eat?" I grinned.

 _Aubrey's Apartment-_

"It's not much," I grinned as I approached my door. My stomach was full to bursting from the wonderful meal, my mood couldn't be higher. But it fell as soon as I realized it was open.

"Stay back Aubrey," Alfred moved closer, pushing the door in. I followed behind him, flicking the light switch.

"Oh dear," Alfred exclaimed as he looked around. My tiny one bedroom apartment was destroyed. Tv pulled off the wall, couch ripped apart, fridge knocked over. I carefully walked over everything, heading to my bedroom. It was the same there as well. My bed had been flipped over, night stand torn apart, clothes pulled out from my dresser.

"Did you bring anything valuable with you?" Alfred asked as he came to stand in the doorway of my bedroom.

"No, I mean I had electronics, but the only thing I can see missing is my laptop."

"Perhaps it would be best if you stayed in Wayne Manor until we can find you suitable living conditions."  
I shook my head.

"I spent all my money on the deposit for this apartment," I looked back at him. "Mom won't help me because I didn't go to the university she wanted me to. This is all I have. Had."

He put his hand on my shoulder.

"This is one of those situations we talked about earlier," he smiled. I sighed.

"What were they after?" I spoke aloud. "The tv is still here, the Xbox, my theather system. Why just the laptop?"

"Was there anything on it?" Alfred asked, pulling a suitcase out of my closet.

"Photo's, music, a few papers, nothing worth stealing."

"It is strange. Do you keep your tips here?"

"No. I usually drop them off at the bank on my way home."

"Smart. Pack some things, I'll inform Master Wayne we will be having a guest."

"No, it's alright. I can get a lock smith or an alarm. I'll be fine."

"You are coming to stay at the manor, and I'll hear nothing else on the matter."

I nodded and began to pack some of my things. This was a big let down. My first time on my own and in less than a month I am back living with family.

"Do not be so hard on yourself," Alfred smiled. "You are eighteen, just starting out. And this is not an easy city to make it in."  
I smiled, but inside I felt horribly defeated. I thought I had done pretty well for myself. Decent job, an okay apartment. I was naive, it turns out.

"Ready?" he asked, looking at me.

"Yes."

He nodded. I stood in the hallway, my heavy suitcase at my side. Alfred closed the door the best he could and we left. He helped me load the suitcase into the trunk. I looked back at my building, remembering how excited I was when I first pulled up.

"A minor setback," Alfred smiled softly at me. "A hard lesson learned."  
We were quiet as we drove, the city disappearing behind us. My phone rang and rang. I knew it was my mother.

"Ignoring her will only make it worse."

I humphed.

"I will call her, explain things."

"She'll never let me live it down."

"What she doesn't know, won't hurt her. Or us," Alfred smiled as he picked up his phone. I waited, listening.

"Daphne. Yes. She's fine. She's right here with me. There was a little incident. No. No, she's fine. It was me. I slipped in the garden, broke my leg. Yes, I'll be alright. Aubrey has been taking wonderful care of me. Won't leave my side, the little dove. She's down making me supper just now. Yes, she's staying here in the manor, despite my protests. I'll have her call you as soon as she comes up. Yes. Alright Daphne, I will talk to you soon. Goodbye."

I couldn't help the smile that creeped across my face as my Uncle hung up the phone.

"There. Now she is none the wiser."

"That was...awesome."

"I have been known to be pretty awesome now and again."

"Thank you, Uncle Alfred, for everything."

"Think nothing of it. Family is everything."

 _Eight weeks later-_

"How was class?" Alfred asked as I came through the door.

"Good. I've got a ridiculous amount of homework. But Organic Chemistry and the lab is great."

"Master Wayne has an event this evening, and I have errands to run. You will have the manor to yourself for the evening."

I nodded as we walked into the large kitchen. For some reason that's where I preferred to do my homework. On the island, my butt planted in an uncomfortable stool.

"Is there anything you'd like from the grocery store?" he asked as he stood in front of the fridge, writing things down on a pad of paper.

"Coke, munchies, the usual."

I heard him chuckle as he closed the fridge. I set my backpack on the island and began taking out my books.

"Will you be back by supper time?" I asked, getting myself set up for a serious crunch session.

"I should be, do we have plans?" he asked, turning to look at me over his glasses. I smiled.

"I was thinking we order pizza tonight and watch a movie."

"Maybe I should skip the fundraiser," Bruce came into the kitchen, buttoning his cuff links. I watched him struggle for a moment before going over to help.

"Thanks," he smiled down at me as I clipped one wrist and then the other.

"What are you raising funds for tonight?" I questioned as I sat back down at the island, opening my organic chemistry book.

"As it just so happens, Gotham University's science center," he grinned as he leaned on the island, looking at my book and notes.

"In that case, thanks!" I grinned.

He patted my shoulder a few times before nodding to Alfred and leaving the room.

"I almost feel bad for him."

"And why is that?" Alfred continued his inventory of the cupboards and the pantry.

"It just seems like he never has time for himself. He's busy all day, fundraisers and what not all night."

"He does as he wishes, Aubrey."

I nodded and focused back on my book. I didn't even realize Alfred had left. I looked at the clock on the oven, two hours had passed, as I was absorbed in reading and notetaking. I heard my phone chime, signaling a text

 _"Have pizza, be there soon."_

I smiled and set the phone down.

"Hello there."

I jumped and ended up sliding off the stool, landing with a thud on the polished marble floor. Who the hell...I got up and saw a man in a black mask standing across the island from me. He was in a white pinstripe suit, and black gloves.

"He..hello," I stuttered back.

"I was expecting Bruce Wayne, but instead I find a pretty young woman. Lucky me."  
"Bruce is...he's out. At a fundraiser," I explained, not sure what was going on. He didn't move, didn't make any threats, but his demeanor, the way he carried himself made me think he was very dangerous.

"Is he now?"  
I nodded.

"Where is the faithful butler?"

His eyes pierced mine, I could feel them burning holes in me.

"He's on his way back," I squeaked. "He'll be here any minute."  
He nodded his head at me, before slowly walking towards me, around the island. I didn't move, I didn't breathe. His gloved hand brushed along the marble top of the island as he walked, but his eyes stayed glued on me. When he reached me, his hand fell on my books and notebooks. He glanced away from me, flipping back the cover of my book to read the title before letting it fall back open.

"You're not Wayne's girlfriend," he looked at me again.

"No," I shook my head vigorously.

"Barely legal. What are you seventeen, eighteen?"

"Eighteen," I licked my dry lips.

"Why are you here?"

"I live here."  
He grabbed my long hair and pulled me forward, causing me to scream in fear and pain.

"Don't start lying to me now sweetheart, we were getting along so well," his voice was remarkably clear, despite the mask he had on. Deep and raspy.

"I live here!" my voice was shaking. "I moved in a few weeks ago after my apartment was broken into."

He pulled me closer to him.

"Why would Bruce Wayne take you in?"

"Alfred is my great uncle."

He didn't say anything.

"The butler, Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred, is my great uncle."

I felt wetness began to pool in my eyes and my bladder was beginning to leak.

"Do you know who I am?" he leveled those eyes at me again and I shook my head quickly. I'd never seen him before.

"Aubrey!" I heard my uncle yell. "Tear yourself away from studying for a few moments and help me with the bags."

"Well Aubrey, it's been fun. Tell Bruce The Black Mask says hello."  
I nodded my head.

"On second thought, I'll tell him myself."

He grabbed my left wrist and twisted it so hard I heard snapping, felt fire erupt up my arm. I screamed in agony, falling as he calmly walked away. I heard footsteps, my uncle calling my name.

"Aubrey, Aubrey what happened?" he was crouched down by me as I sobbed, hugging my wrist to me.

"The...The..Black Mask says hello," I sobbed.

 _Gotham General Hospital-_

"Is she alright?" Bruce asked, still in his suit and tie.

"She has been sedated. Her wrist is broken. Distal radius fracture, the break has extended into the wrist joint, she has torn ligaments and several spiral fractures extening up into her forearm."

Bruce ran a hand over his face.

"She said something to me Master Bruce, the only thing I could make out as she sobbed," Alfred leaned in closer. "The Black Mask says hello."

He watched Bruce's face harden.

"The Black Mask?"

"That's what she said sir," Alfred nodded once before entering her room once again. He watched her sleep, her eyelids red and puffy from crying. He sat in a chair, looking at his great niece. Her chesnut brown hair cascaded around her, still holding a slight wave from her earlier style. Her skin was lightly tanned, but you could see it fading away as fall progressed. She looked very much like her father, the only hint of her mother was the color of her hair and the oval shape of her face. He sighed.

 _Morning-_

"That smells great!" I exclaimed, watching as Bruce and Alfred set a bag in front of me.

"Breakfast," Bruce smiled. "And coffee, with peppermint creamer, not an easy find this time of the year."

"You guys are the best," I grinned, pusing the button on my bed to make me sit up more. The doctor decided to keep me here overnight, because of how upset I was when I came in. I tried to move my left arm, but I wasn't use to the clunkiness of the cast and ended up almost knocking my coffee over. Bruce saved it just in time. "This is going to take some getting use to."

Alfred nodded.

"At least it wasn't your right arm," he smiled.

"Thank goodness. When am I getting out of here? I have class at 2."

"I think you should take a few days off," Alfred began, but I stopped him with a stern shake of my head.

"Not a chance. There is a waiting list for this class, and I am not losing my spot because of a broken wrist."

I opened the container and grinned at the sight of sunny side up eggs, golden brown hashbrowns, bacon and wheat toast. I dug in, not caring that I was being scutinized.

"Commissioner Gordon is outside, he needs to take a statement from you," Alfred dropped the bomb on me. I slowed my eating and looked up at him.

"Commissioner? Why Commissioner? Shouldn't it be a detective or something?"

"He's a friend," Bruce smiled at me, taking a seat next to me on the left.

"Alright," I agreed, knowing it was an illusion. I didn't really have a choice. I decided to focus on my food, and not my heart in my chest. I smiled at them, because I knew that was what they wanted to see. Inside, well, inside I was scared to death. My hand was beginning to shake as Commissioner Gordon and Alfred walked in. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to talk about it. Every time I closed my eyes I saw him. The way he stalked around the island towards me, the way his black gloved hand trailed behind on the counter. His dark, terrifying eyes. I knew I was sweating, even as goosebumps broke out on my skin.

"Good morning Miss Sutcliffe," an older man approached me. He wore square rimmed glasses, a neat mustache and had kind eyes. "I'm James Gordon, you can call me Jim."

I nodded, reaching for my coffee, my breakfast long ago abandoned. But my violently shaking hand had me changing my mind.

"I know this is hard," he began, pulling up a chair on my right, scooting it close. "And you're scared. But right here and right now, you are safe."

I locked eyes with him, searching, but I didn't know what for. All I saw was a man with kind, sad eyes. I nodded.

"Take me through it, step by step. What were you doing before the attack?" he asked, a pen and notepad in his hand.

"Studying."

He smiled. "Studying what?"

"Organic Chemistry."  
"What's the end game with that? Are you going to be a chemical engineer?"

"Toxicologist," I relpied.

"Toxicologist," he repeated, nodding his head like he approved. "Do you go to Gotham University?"

I nodded my head yes.

"My daughter Barbara attends as well. Did you see the attacker before he came at you?"

"I..I heard my phone go off," I stuttered. "So I glanced over to the clock, I didn't even realize I was alone. I didn't hear Alfred leave."

I saw Alfred close his eyes for a moment, before opening them to look at me.

"It wasn't your fault," I immediately tried to convince him he wasn't to blame. "I zone out when I study, nothing else exhists."

"Was your phone ringing?" Jim forced me to focus back on him.

"No, it was a message. From Uncle Alfred. I was looking at it when he said hello."

"He said hello?" Jim questioned.

"It startled me, I slid off the stool and fell to the floor. When I got up, he was standing there, across the island from me."

"What did he look like?" Jim was writing, his eyes still on me.

"Tall, white pinstripe suit. Black gloves, and on his head..." I felt vomit beginning to creep up into my throat. But I swallowed it down. I was shaking all over now, and I couldn't stop. "He wore a black mask, it...it looked like a skull."  
"You're doing great Aubrey," Jim smiled. "Remember, he can't get you here. You're safe. What happened next?"

"He, um, said he was expecting Bruce, not me. And that he felt lucky."

"Lucky?" Jim repeated. I shrugged.

"Lucky me," I gave him the exact phrase. "That's what he said." Jim nodded his head for me to go on.

"I told him Bruce was out," I whispered. "At a fundraiser."

"What was his body language? Did he seem upset?" Jim asked, making me close my eyes to see him.

"I don't know," I felt my first tear leak down my cheek. "He asked where Uncle Alfred was, and I told him he was on his way back. That he would be there any second."  
"You're doing excellent, I just need a little more," Jim coaxed.

"He started to walk towards me," I whispered, fear washing over me. "His eyes, they were so... I froze, I couldn't move."  
"That's a common fear response Aubrey," Jim nodded. "What happened next?"

"He walked so slow, it felt like every step took him an eternity. But then he was there, right in front of me, looking at my things. My textbooks and binders. My notebook."

"Why was he looking at them?"

I shook my head, I didn't know! Why did he break into Wayne Manor?

"He said, you're not Wayne's girlfriend," I could hear his voice in my head, clear as day.

"For the record, you two aren't dating, are you?" Jim asked, looking from me to Bruce and back again.

"No," Bruce shook his head. "Aubrey is family.

"Alright. Just checking. What did you say? Did you say anything?" Jim was looking back at me.

"I told him I wasn't. And then he said I was barely legal, and asked if I was seventeen or eighteen. I told him the truth."  
"Did he say why he wanted to know?"

"No. He asked why I was there."

"Why you were home? Why you were in the kitchen?" Jim prodded.

"Why I was at Wayne Manor. I told him I lived there and he..he grabbed me by my hair and pulled me until our noses were almost touching. Told me I was doing so well, and to not start lying to him now. I told him, I told him everything," I began to sob. I couldn't hold it back anymore, the burning in my eyes, the tightness in my chest.

"Told him what Aubrey?" Jim's voice stayed level, calm.

"That I'm Alfred's great niece, and I moved in after someone broke into my apartment 2 months ago."  
Jim took notes as Alfred came forward, trying to soothe me. He sat on the edge of the bed, my head tucked under his chin as he rubbed my back. I couldn't stop, I had never been so afraid of anything or anyone in my entire life.

"Come now Aubrey," Uncle Alfred's smooth voice reached me. "Do not let this man have this much control over you."

"How do I stop it?" I asked, winding down.

"Talk," Alfred kissed the top of my head. "And never stop. Men like him use fear and intimidation to keep the people they hurt silent. All it takes is one voice in a sea of thousands, to turn all that silence into a roar."

I wiped my eyes, as I pulled away from him. He was right. I had to be brave, because I _could_ be brave.

"He asked me if I knew who he was," I turned to look at Jim again.

"Did you?"

"I've never seen him before, didn't recognize his eyes or his voice."

Jim nodded.

"And then you yelled to me," I turned to look up at Alfred.

"He was still in the house when your uncle arrived home?" Jim wrote furiously on his little pad.

"Yes. Then he pulled me closer and said, Well Aubrey, it's been fun. Tell Bruce the Black Mask says hello."  
"The Black Mask? You're sure he said.." Jim began but stopped himself.

"I nodded, I couldn't speak at that point. Then he said, on second thought, I'll tell him myself. And he grabbed my wrist and twisted. I heard snapping and it felt like fire exploded in my arm. My legs gave out and I fell, screaming and crying."

"Did he do anything else? Any other violence?"

I shook my head.

"After I fell he just...walked away."

Jim sat back, rereading his notes for several minutes.

"What does this guy want with you Bruce?" I turned to look at him.

"The Black Mask's real name is Roman Sionis, and once upon time, he was the CEO of Janus Cosmetics. But he made some mistakes, rushed production of a makeup line that hadn't been fully tested and ended up hurting a lot of people. The lawsuits alone were going to bankrupt him. Wayne Industries stepped in and helped out," Bruce explained. "I think he thought the goal was for me to humiliate him, but I just didn't want to see a good company like Janus go under because of bad management."

"When was that?" I asked, not hearing anything about it. You'd think it would have been on the news, a massive lawsuit like that.

"It was before your time," Alfred smiled down at me. "Bruce was just a young man himself."

"And now he's...what? Doning a mask and breaking into people's homes?"

Jim looked at me.

"You really don't know who he is," he sat back, on his face a look of shock.

"What? Is that bad?"

"Aubrey grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut Commissioner," Alfred spoke up. "It is a very intfluential area, but sheltered. Gotham holds no interest for the aging plutocrats."

I snapped my head over to Alfred, knowing he was talking about my grandfather.

"Do you come from money Miss Sutcliffe?"

"I suppose, yes. But I am not receiving any assistance from my family back home, so I am essentially broke."

"You have a trust in your name Aubrey," Aflred spoke up. "That you can access at any time. You're dear mother must have forgot to mention that to you."

"I thought I had to be 25 before I could touch what was in my trust?" I asked, confused. My mother had always told me I had to be 25. Always 25.

"No dove," Alfred shook his head. "It is yours. Age non withstanding."

"So there is a possible motive," Jim nodded.

"How would anyone know I have money? I just found out," I exclaimed.

"You live with Bruce Wayne. The Black Mask could have come around looking for you Mr. Wayne, or heard that there was a new young woman staying at Wayne Manor. Had he found Wayne, he could have kidnapped him, ransomed him out. And now he knows you are family, he might be planning the same thing."

I made a face.

"I'll give him all the money in my trust if he doesn't," I shook my head. It was just money! It wasn't worth this. Not even close.

"It won't come to that," Bruce smiled, trying to lighten the mood in the room. "You'll catch him, won't you Commissioner?"

"We'll certainly do our best," he stood. "It was nice meeting you Miss Sutcliffe."  
"Please, it's just Aubrey."

He smiled and nodded.

"Good luck with school, I'll be in touch."

I stood in the darkened living room, the only light coming from the lightening as it raced across the sky. It's been nine days since I was attacked and I was having a hard time sleeping. Every creak in the floor, every rustle of the trees outside sent me into a paranoid frenzy. Sure _he_ was out there, his black mask materizing out of the darkness, peering at me from the other side of my window.

"Bad dreams?" I startled at the sound of his voice. I turned my head over my shoulder to see Bruce coming my way, two cups of steaming something in his hands.

"Yeah. You?" I muttered, taking the cup from him. It felt good, the heat that seeped through to warm my hands.

"Same," he responded. I turned my head to look at him. He had gray dusting his temples, and stubble covering his jaw and chin. He looked exhausted. He noticed me observing him and turned to do the same to me. His brown eyes searching my emerald ones.

"It goes away," he smiled sadly. I almost asked him how he knew, but I remembered quickly his childhood and remained silent. "What's on the agenda for today?"

I took a sip and discovered it to be tea. What kind I had no idea. But it had been sweetened with honey.

"No class on Thursdays," I smiled, watching as a large bolt of lightening tore across the sky. I waited for the corresponding thunder. I loved a good storm.

"Let's go for a drive," Bruce announced after several silent moments. I looked over at him and nodded.

"Okay."

We drank our tea in silence, watching the sky. I didn't realize how close we ended up standing to one another until I shifted my weight from the left to the right. I brushed against Bruce, but he either didn't feel it or didn't mind. I liked that I could stand in complete silence around him and it wasn't uncomfortable.

"I'm going to go get dressed," I announced. He nodded, his eyes never leaving the sky.

I checked the weather on my phone, seeing the temp wasn't going to rise above 47 degrees and it was going to be storming on and off all day. I didn't know where we were going, so I decided to dress casually. Skinny jeans, knee high flat brown boots and a cream cable knit turtleneck sweater. Simple diamond studs in my ears and my watch was my only jewelry. I figured since I was spending most of the day with Bruce I didn't have to go all out on my hair or makeup. I swiped some black mascara over my long thick lashes, really making my eyes pop. I quickly penciled in my brows, ran some chapstick over my lips and called it good.

Bruce was waiting at the foot of the stairs, dressed in casual clothes as well.

"I left a note for Alfred in the kitchen," he smiled. For his age, Bruce looked good. He was wearing a black sweater and dark wash jeans. The sweater pulled a little over his well defined upper body.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we walked into the garage. It always shocked me just how many vehicles were in here.

"I haven't decided," his voice echoed around the garage. He seemed to already know which car he wanted, so I just trailed behind him. I wasn't a car expert, but I could see we were headed for a black SUV. Upon closer inspection, I could see the Mercedes-Benz logo on the front of it. I wasn't even aware Mercedes-Benz made SUV's.

Bruce opened the passanger side door for me as he passed it, but didn't remain to close it. I smiled as I climbed in.

He climbed in, turning the engine over with a roar. The news came on, talking about something Superman had done in Metropolis earlier that day. I leaned forward and turned it up slightly, so I could hear.

 _Reports are coming in now of a two hour battle that damaged four of Metropolis's boroughs early this morning. Bakerline, Hob's Bay, Queensland Park and New Troy have all suffered several millions of dollars of damage after an apparent fight broke out between Superman and the alien known as Brainiac. Information is still coming..._

Bruce forcefully pushed the button off and the report died mid sentence. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm not a fan of the news."

I nodded my head and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I checked the popular news sites, and then the less popular ones.

"Alfred told me how your father died," Bruce had been watching me out of the corner of his eye.

"Autointoxication from an unknown source inside his body," I sighed, closing the tabs on my phone and turning to look at him.

"But you don't believe that."  
"No."

"You think he was poisoned."

"I've read every piece of information I can find about Autointoxication. In every reported instance, the source toxin or bacteria can be traced back to a medical explanation. Usually a disorder resulting in the absorption of waste material from the digestie system. Or from dead and infected tissue, such as gangrene."

Bruce nodded to indicate he was listening.

"I took samples of my fathers blood, and sent them out to several private labs, requesting toxicology screenings. They all came back with the exact same results. Traces of an unknown toxin."

"An unknown toxin?" Bruce's eyebrow's came down in thought.

"He was the only one who believed me," I shook my head, remembering spending months in the hospitals ICU in the chair next to his bed, reading to him about automated immunoassays, chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry testing.

"Did you have the toxin isolated and synthesized?"

I laughed and Bruce sent me a smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to know anything about... I'm just sorry."

"It's alright. I've spent some time in Wayne Tech's laboratories."

It was a lie, you don't pick up that kind of information just doing a walk-through of a lab. But I didn't push. Bruce was clearly smarter than I had originally given him credit for.

"I have a few samples left, and I've been working on them in the lab at Gotham U."

He was silent for a few minutes as we drove.

"He's the reason then," Bruce nodded.

"Yes."

He smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Many thanks to BlackDove WhiteDove for the kind and awesome review. A little info, I'm sourcing material from video games, movies, comics and TV series. My Batman is based on Ben Affleck's.**

"What will you do?" Bruce asked, as he smoothly passed cars going to slow for his taste.

"I'll find who's responsible, make them face justice. And ensure it can never happen to anyone ever again."

Bruce signaled right and pulled over to the side of the road. I was puzzled, but patient. He didn't say anything, his eyes far away as he looked straight through the windshield.

My phone chimed so I tore my eyes away from the enigma that was Bruce Wayne and looked at my phone. It was a text from Alfred.

 _Where have you and Master Bruce run off too?_

"Tell Alfred we'll be home soon," Bruce seemed to snap out of whatever reprieve he had fallen into.

"Will do."  
He kept his eyes on me as I texted Alfred back. When I was done I put my phone away and looked back to him.

"Are you alright?"

"I want to show you something," was all Bruce said. I nodded and leaned back into my comfortable seat. The vehicle was warm and I felt my eyelids drooping.

"Aubrey," I felt a slight shake and I jerked up, started. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep.

"I'm sorry," I began but Bruce smiled and unbuckled himself, sliding out of the SUV. I quickly tried to unbuckle myself, but my body was still sleeping and I was fumbling around. Bruce opened my door for me and I smiled at him as he helped me out.

We were in a parking garage, but I kept quiet and walked along side of Bruce. It clicked when we were inside the elevator. We were at Wayne Enterprises.

I raised an eyebrow at him but he just shot me a smile. I followed calmly behind him as he led me through several secured doors.

"I'd like you to meet Lucius Fox," Bruce introduced me to a kindly looking older African gentleman.

"Aubrey Sutcliffe," I smiled and extended my hand to him. He took it and gently pumped it twice.

"I've heard a lot about you Miss Sutcliffe," He smiled. "All of it good, I assure you."

I shot Bruce a questioning glance. He just smiled and crossed his arms.

"Toxicology major, right?" Mr. Fox spoke over his shoulder as he walked away. He waved one hand at me and I quickly scrambled after him.

"Ever played around with one of these?" He asked me. I glanced at the large machine sitting on the counter.

"Ultracentrifuge? No, Gotham U doesn't have anything like this. But hopefully..." I glanced back to Bruce and flashed him a smile. "After the fundraiser Bruce attended in the Science Center's honor..."

Lucius and Bruce both laughed at the same time. Lucius took me on a tour through the lab, asking me questions and answering any of mine. It was great.

"You're a bright young woman, how would you like to come work for Wayne Industries?" Lucius asked when we made our way back to where we started.

"I'm an undergrad, I don't really have..."

"This would be an internship, you'll be an assistant with access to the lab and it's attached facilities."

His smile was kind but his eyes sparked with mischief. Access to a lab of this caliber would really boost my investigation. And I had a feeling that somehow, Lucius knew.

"Working around you're class schedule, of course," he smiled.

"It'll look good on your resume," Bruce added as he appeared behind me.

"Alright, I'm sold. What do you need from me?"

"Already done," Lucius smiled as he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a white envelope. He handed it out to me and I took it with a puzzled look. Inside was a pass with my picture, name, and job title.

"No paperwork to sign?" I asked, puzzled. This was a lab, I might come in contact with sensitive information.

"It's been handled," Bruce nodded.

 _Two Months Later-_

If I wasn't at the university, I was in the lab at Wayne Industries. My duties were remedial and to be honest, boring. But I had a lot of time to do as I pleased.

Which would explain why I, an 18 year old college undergrad, was in the lab at 11:37 pm on a Friday night. And what I was seeing was completely astounding. Hidden, cleverly, I might add, among a multitude of things in the toxin I found in my fathers blood, was a substance I had never seen before. The chemical makeup was...fascinating. I peeked around Wayne Enterprises chemical registeration database to see if anything like it had been found and flagged before. But no such luck.

I sighed and decided the only thing to do was take a sample and break it down further, until I was down to the bare bones and then work it back up from there.

"Still here I see," Lucius's voice startled me.

"I've made some headway on the toxin in my father's blood. It's complex, and I am completely over my head."

"You?" he smiled and indicated I should move over. He grabbed a nearby wheeling chair and sat near me. I watched him while he scanned through the data on the screen. I saw something, a spark of recognition.

"This is indeed a complex chemical," he hummed. I knew he knew what it was, but why wouldn't he say anything?

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

He turned from the screen, his brown eyes locked with mine and lied.

"No" he shook his head. "Looks like you've got a lot of work ahead of you. You should go home. Get some sleep."

I nodded, watching as he left. But something didn't sit right. So as a precaution I slipped a usb in and transferred all my data I had collected so far. Then I went ahead and printed off what I had, putting it all in my messenger bag. I wasn't worried about the samples, as I had one hidden, as a failsafe.

When I arrived home, it seemed like everyone was asleep, so I quietly crept up to my room. I changed and tried to relax, but the look on Lucius's face kept me up. What did he know? Why did he keep it from me? That was all that swirled around in my head as I begged sleep to take me.

An hour later I got up and made some tea, taking my new laptop with me. I plugged away, trying to find any trace on the internet of the chemical.

"No rest for the wicked," Bruce's voice came out of the darkness.

"Rest is for the weary and sleep for the dead," I replied, pouring tea into my cup. "Tea?"

"Please."  
I grabbed another cup and poured him some.

"Lucius called me today. You've made a breakthrough on the toxin in your fathers blood."

"I wouldn't call it that. I found traces of a chemical compound hidden in the toxin in my fathers blood."

"Hidden?"

"It's just a theory I have," I shurgged.

"Tell me," he took another sip.

"I think someone engineered that toxin to conceal what really killed my father. I can't tell you how, or why, or even what the chemical is that it hid, but I know it. In my gut."  
Bruce didn't laugh, he didn't point out the many holes in my theory. And it made me care for him all that much more.

"Thank you," I smiled at him.

"For what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not laughing at me. Or telling me I'm crazy."

"You're not crazy," He sighed and waved a hand at me to follow. I clutched my laptop under my arm and balanced my tea in the other, walking quickly to catch up. I had never been on this side of the house, trying to stay out of the way and give Bruce his privacy. He was already being incredibly generous by letting me live here, rent free. He also got me a job at his company. He didn't need me to be a bother on top of all of that.

"Sit," he indicated as we entered an office. It was impersonal, decorated to look comfy and lived in. I sat down in the chair indicated and waited. Bruce stared at me, saying nothing for several minutes.

"What is it?" I asked, getting worried. "Are you okay? Is it Uncle Alfred?"

"Alfred is fine," he smiled. I felt relief wash over me, but it didn't go away completely.

"Okay, what about you then? Are you alright? Is there anything I can do?"

He nodded his head, like he was agreeing to something.

"What if I told you I had a secret?"

"I would say that everyone has secrets. And if you need to talk, I'm here," I was suddenly feeling anxious again. "We're family Bruce."

"The chemical compound your looking at is called Venom. Or a variation of it. One I've never seen before."

"Venom, as in a toxin?" I asked.

"No, it's name is Venom. It was created to enhance strength."

"Like a steroid?" I was confused. I wasn't super familiar with steroids, but I knew enough about their makeup to know this was vastly different.

"In a matter of speaking. It's vastly more complicated. Think super soldiers."

I knitted my brows together.

"Is this...how do you know about this? Did Wayne Industries create it for the military?"

Bruce shook his head and opened his desk. He pulled out a folder and slid it towards me. I leaned forward, dread filling me. Did I want to know what was in there? Was I strong enough to know? I looked up at Bruce and for a moment I felt like this was a test. My curiousity and determination outweighed any fears I had.

I opened it and began to read. The amount of information was staggering and I wondered more than once where Bruce could have gotten this information. I flipped a page and was startled to see a picture of a large masked man. The document kept referring to him as the subject, or the patient. On the photo was the name Bane.

"This man," I held the photo up for Bruce to see. "Is the patient reffered to in these reports?"

"Yes. His goes by Bane."

"Is he still alive?"

"Yes."  
"Then I need to find him and speak to him." Bruce's eyes grew wide and he looked surprised.

"I forget that you aren't from here. Aubrey, Bane is a mercenary, a hired killer."

I looked back to the black and white photo, the elated feeling that had been brewing inside me leaving quickly. He was my only lead, and he was a dangerous murderer.

"The report is missing information. Where did these experiments take place? Who ran them? What happened to the other subjects? And who allowed this?" I had so many questions, and they just kept bubbling up. "How did you get this? Where did you get this? And why?"

Bruce didn't seem upset, he smiled a little and nodded.

"Can I trust you?" he asked, his smile dropping and a look I had never seen settled onto his face. It was...scary almost. I took a moment, and answered honestly.

"Yes."

"Come with me," he got up and tipped a statue on the bookshelf forward, and I watched as the bookshelf slide back, revealing a doorway. I looked to Bruce, who raised an eyebrow at me in challenge.

I got up, forgetting my tea and laptop. I walked behind him, going down a set of stairs.

"Ah, Master Bruce, I was wondering if I was going to be working..." Alfred's eyes met mine and he froze.

My mouth fell open as I tried to take in everything I was seeing. My Uncle Alfred was bent over a vehicle, his white dress shirt rolled up to his elbow, hands full of grease. But that was the most normal thing I saw. A large computer ran along the wall, with multiple large servers servicing it. And in the distance, in a case, I saw it. Batman's armor. It took me longer than it should have. I had to process all of it for several seconds and then I had to convince myself it was true.

"Wha...Is this real?" I whispered, looking from Bruce to Alfred.

"I thought we had decided she was to be left out of this," my uncle spoke up, wiping his hands angrily on a rag and tossing it on the engine he was working on. "You had no right.."

"She found the Venom in her fathers blood," Bruce replied walking forward. "Took her less time than you thought."

Alfred looked to me.

"You found it?"

Found it? It felt like I was spinning but when Alfred asked me that, everything came to a violent halt. My focus was back, sharp and clear as ever.

"How long did you know?" I raged suddenly, my angry voice echoing around the large room.

"Aubrey, remain calm," Alfred began but I shook my head.

"Nobody believed me! I knew there was something else in my dad's blood, I begged someone to listen to me! And you knew!"

"I took samples days after he was admitted," Alfred spoke as he walked towards me. "It took us longer than it took you to find it, the Venom. By the time we had, your father was past the point of saving."

I ground my teeth together in fury.

"You never said anything," I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't help it. I was so angry with him. "You let me suffer this alone, ostracized by everyone."

He tried to reach out to me, but I stepped back.

"Aubrey.."  
"You've made a fool of me," I accused. "You let me run around, thinking I was making all these breakthroughs and finally getting somewhere. And you knew. All of you. Even Lucius."

I had never felt more stupid, or small in my whole life.

"I had every intention of telling you," Alfred began. "When you were ready.."

"Who are you to decide that?" No one spoke for several seconds.

"I'm going to bed," I walked away, exhaustion coming over me suddenly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry! This is an updated repost! I didn't like the way the old one flowed, so I changed some things. Let me know!**

I avoided both Bruce and Alfred. And if I did happen to run into them, I said as much as necessary.

"Hey Aubrey!" I looked up to see Garrett pulling out a seat.

"I ordered you a black coffee," I smiled, sliding his cup towards him.

"Thanks," he smiled and took a sip. "So what's up?"

I sighed, knowing what I was doing was dangerous.

"I...I heard that you know certain...people," I kept my voice low as I began.

He raised an eyebrow at me and looked around, before leaning forward.

"Who...?"

"It doesn't matter. I just need to know if you can find someone for me."

He looked at me, assessing. I waited, unsure. Some of the chatter around Aphrodisiac was that Garrett worked for a ganster, nobody knew who, so I decided to go out on a limb.

"What's this about Aubrey?" he asked raised an eyebrow.

"I'm looking for a man who might have some answers about my fathers death," I explained. Garrett nodded. We worked together enough and when the subject of family came up, I didn't shy away from telling him.

"This guy, why can't you find him through normal channels?"

"I guess it's because he's a mercenary. Goes by the name Bane."  
I watched as his face drained of color and was pretty sure I had reached a dead end.

"I can pay you," I offered, trying to get him on board with me.

"Shit, this isn't about money Aubrey. Bane...he's not a nice guy."  
"Well I assumed as much, considering he apparantly kills people for a living. But I still need to speak with him. Even if it's just a phone number. Please Garrett."

Silently he contemplated, running his hands over his face a few times before nodding.

"I'll ask around, see what I can find. But I'm not promising anything."

I smiled and he shook his head.

"Thanks for the coffee," he grabbed it up and then left. I sat there, wondering if I had made a mistake, if I was in over my head. I reached into my bag, taking out the file Bruce had shown me. I stared at the picture of Bane, wondering how my father was involved in all of this?

As a chemical engineer, he certainly had the know how to create something like this, but would he? And if so, why? I sighed, flipping through the pages, knowing there was nothing here that I didn't already know.

 _Three Weeks Later-_

I was sitting near the fireplace in the main room, writing a paper on my laptop when my phone chimed. A text.

 _Found him. Meet me at The Gotham Arms at 9._

I had almost given up on Garrett. I sent a quick text back agreeing and I got up, racing to my room to change. When I came back down, Bruce was looking at my laptop.

"This is good," he commented, as I grabbed up my messenger bag. "Where are you going?"

"To see a friend," I responded. I slung my bag across my body and headed out. I was still frosty with them, the burning feeling of betrayal hung in the air whenever they were near me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his shoulders slump. I sighed.

"I won't be late," I waved back.

The Gotham Arms was across town, in a not so great neighborhood. But I really didn't expect the ritz.

I waited, patiently. The clock said 9:10, and then 9:30. I sighed, rubbing my eyes. That's when the door opened and Garrett was there.

"Come with me," Garrett grabbed my arm and pulled me from the car. I sputtered, but followed behind him, not really having a choice.

He took me down alleys that twisted and turned, until we were near the water.

"I'm sorry," Garrett gave me a look before he took off.

"Garrett!" I was confused. What was going on, where was I? Why did he run?

"What is a little thing like you doing looking for a man like me?" his voice was deep, causing all the little hairs on my neck to stick up. I turned around and saw the man from the file. Bane. Although he was much larger than I had ever considered. He was wearing dark cargo pants that were tucked into very large combat boots. He wore a navy or black jacket with several pockets on the front.

"I...I'm very sorry to bother you," I stammered. "But I have some questions regarding... Well regarding a substance I came across. It's called venom.."  
He moved quicker than I could comprehend, putting a large hand on my chest and pressing me into the wall of the building I didn't realize was behind me. I grabbed at his wrist, trying to push it away. But he was like steel.

"Why do you know about this?" he leaned in close, his green eyes piercing through me. I opened my mouth and closed it again, fear taking my voice from me momentarily.

"My father was hospitalized when I was 15, they said he had Autointoxication, but I didn't believe them. So I took samples of his blood. Hidden inside a bevy of toxins was a chemical I had never seen , but it has been tampered with, it's a different variation."

"How did you connect it with me?" he remained very close to me, which was making me nervous.

"A file I received," I started to move my hand towards my bag and he stepped closer to me, pushing his large body against my small one "Please! In...my bag. File..."

He stepped away from me suddenly and I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the cold ground. He remained in the same spot, flipping through the pages of the file. I looked up, waiting to see what he would do. And I didn't have to wait long. He crouched down, once again staring at me.

"What is it you hoped to learn from me?"

"Did you know my father, Adam Sutcliffe? He was a chemical engineer for S.T.A.R laboratories."

"I cannot say I know the name."

I nodded, it was a shot in the dark.

"There is information missing from this document. Who ran the experiments? Where, and why?"

"You have courage, for one so young." I looked up at him and smiled. "But your actions are those of a fool. I could kill you, without thought or hesitation."

"I don't have a choice," I began, locking eyes with this killer. "Someone murdered my father and got away with it. I can't move forward, I can't go back. I'm stuck, here. Now. And I won't stop until I find who did it."

He didn't speak, but stood quickly. His large hand came down before me, and I took it. He pulled me to my feet easily.

"You said it was a variation of Vemon. Do you have proof?"

I nodded, pointing to my bag. He nodded his head and I grabbed out my notebook. I stepped away from him, and closer to the hanging light. He moved with me, his presence like a physical weight on my body.

"I have analyzed it in every way I could think of," I turned to the little folder inside the notebook, pulling out dozens of reports. "Here's the original make up of Venom, and this is what I found in my fathers blood. It shares several common markers, here," I pointed to a specific place on the breakdown. "And here. But this is where it...changes, for lack of a better term."

Bane said nothing as I explained everything to him. He watched carefully as I played several videos for him that I had taken of my experiments since discovering Venom.

"You have done this alone?"

"I used a few private labs, none of them had ever seen anything like it before, some didn't have the equipment to process it. I'm enrolled at Gotham U, as a Toxicology major. I used my access to their equipment to further my research. So yes, I've done this alone. Which, I just realized telling you puts me in even greater danger."

He smiled at me, his green eyes crinkiling behind his mask.

"If I were the sort of man who killed unarmed, innocent women, you would be. As it stands, I am not."

"I am very greatful that you aren't," I thanked him. "And for the time you took to speak to me."

"You are strange," he nodded.

"Yes, I suppose I am," I sighed. "Strange and determined."

"See that your determination does not turn to arrogance. This path you take will lead you to others who do not share my views on killing women."

"I had a 90/10 chance with you tonight."

"How is that?" he asked.

"I figured since you were a mercenary not hired to kill me, that meant I had a 10% chance of walking away from this relatively unscathed."

"How do you know I was not hired to kill you?"

"I made the inquiry three weeks ago about you, if you were hired to kill me, I assume I would be dead already."  
"Unless I was waiting for you to come to me."

I hadn't thought about that possibility. It was certainly a big oversight on my part.

"You weren't though, right?" I asked, trying not to sound hopeful.

"I wasn't offered the contract."

I felt like I had been punched in the gut.

"Head between your knees," he walked around me, hands by his side. "I agreed to see you because I assumed you were looking for protection."

"There is a contract on me?"

"Yes. The first one was for information on you. $10,000. Your friend collected on it."

"My..." my mind raced and came to one logical conclusion. "Garrett. That explains why he apologized when he left...he thought you were going to kill me."

He nodded. "I considered it, you are now worth $500,000 alive. Half that if you are delivered dead."

"Why didn't you tell me right away?!" I demanded, standing upright.

"As I said, I thought you had come to hire me for protection, or to beg for your life. Instead you began to speak about Venom. It was obvious to me that the reason your contract was never offered to me was because whomever is behind it never wanted us to come into contact with one another."

I took several seconds to process all this new information.

"Then that means I am on the right track..but why didn't they want me to speak with you?"

"Continue your research, I will make sure no one collects on the contract. If you need to speak with me, contact Garrett. If it is an emergency, go to the East Gotham docks, warehouse 5. My men will protect you."

He gave me one last glance before turning away, I watched his broad back for as long as I could before the darkness swallowed him.

"Aubrey!" I heard a deep voice shout my name. I startled and looked up, watching as Batman ran towards me. It took me a few seconds to calm my heart, and remember that Batman was a good guy.

"Aubrey! Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," I smiled, tearing my eyes away from where Bane had disappeared into the inky blackness. "A little shook up, to be honest." I made to step away when the world swam dangerously and I stumbled.

"Maybe not as okay as I thought," I whispered after he caught me around the middle. Fear and adrenaline ran rampant through me. I felt the same as when The Black Mask attacked me. Bane's presence was...overwhelming. Terrifying. But he didn't hurt me, not like Black Mask did. He didn't need to use violence to intimidate.

"Why are you out here" Bruce asked, still using his deep voice.

"I just want to go home," I leaned forward and rested my head on his hard chest. He gently wrapped an arm around me.

"I'll call Alfred," he offered.

"I've got my car parked somewhere around here..."

"Not anymore. You're in the Narrows, it's gone."  
"Oh..."

"I'll call Alfred to come," he released me and stepped away to speak. I looked around and thought I saw something move in the shadows near the water. I blinked but it was gone. Bruce walked back over to me, his mouth a firm line.

"We're going to have a discussion tonight," the way he spoke didn't leave any room for options. So I just nodded.

Alfred kept giving me side glances as I rested back against the seat.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" he finally asked.

"I arranged to meet a man who I thought had information on Venom," I explained without giving away to many details.

"Aubrey..."

"I'm sorry for how I've been behaving the last few weeks. It was childish."

He glanced at me for a moment before turning his eyes back to the road.

"I have an apology to make as well. I should have told you about your father. It was unfair for me to withhold it from you."

"Yes, it was. But I understand why you did."  
"You do?"

"To protect me," I nodded. "I wasn't ready for it, I'm not even sure if I am ready now."

"What did Bane tell you?" he asked suddenly. I turned my head and looked at him in surprise.

"How did you know?" I questioned, surprised.

"Since the moment you were attacked, we've been monitoring you. Concerned for your safety."

I had a moment when I was mad, but had it not been for Alfred and Bruce's protective nature, who knows how my night would have ended.

"He didn't know much," I confessed. "He read the file Bruce gave me, and he didn't know my father." I left out the part about their being a half a million dollar contract on my life.

"Did he attack you?"

"No."

"I feel that I need to remind you how absolutely foolish this endeavor was," he scolded me.

"Bane said the same thing to me," I laughed.

"Did he now?"

"He told me I was courageous, but my actions were those of a fool."

"At least we agree on that," he turned on the blinker and I smiled when I realized we were at my favorite fast food place. Alfred placed an order and I rummaged in my bag to find the file. I opened it, unsure of why, as I had everything memorized. And then I saw it. A name was circled, and a line drawn down to another name. And then seven numbers, a phone number perhaps?

I shut it casually, unsure if I wanted to share this until I knew what Bane was trying to tell me.

"Aubrey?" Alfred was trying to hand me my drink and I snapped out of it, taking it quickly.

When we arrived at the mansion, Bruce was already there, waiting. Alfred looked from him, to me and then left the room.

"I don't even know where to begin," he radiated anger even though he seemed outwardly calm.

"Then I'll start. With this," I handed him the bag which contained a burger and fries. "And an apology. I am sorry for the way I have been treating you the last few weeks. It wasn't fair of me to do that. And I am sorry that I worried you tonight."

"You're sorry you worried me tonight?" Oh, there was anger in his voice now. Lots of it. "You told me I could trust you."  
"What does one thing have to do with another? I didn't betray you, or the trust you placed in me. I met a man, albit a very frighenting and dangerous one."

"You told me you were meeting a friend," he accused.

"And I did. Garrett was the one who met me at the Gotham Arms and brought me to Bane. So I didn't lie to you. I split hairs a little, I will agree to that. But I have never lied to you, I wouldn't do that Bruce."

"What did he tell you?" he shifted gears.

"Not much, actually," I spoke. "But he did leave me a clue, or a message, I'm not sure which."

Bruce raised an eyebrow at me. I set my bag of food down and reached into my messenger bag for the file. I stepped closer to him and turned, so my back was against his arm and opened the file to show him.

"I just realized he did it in the car, so I haven't had any time to work it out."  
I looked up and was a little shocked to see he was looking at me and not the file.

"What is it?"

"Why didn't you tell me? Ask me to help?" his face softened, his eyes once again kind.

"Several reasons, the first being I was still angry with you and Alfred. After that, I didn't want to be a burden or a pest to anyone. And finally..."

He raised an eyebrow and I shook my head.

"There was my ego. I wanted to do it alone, so I could come back and show you that I was brave, and smart. That I didn't need anyone to help me..." I gave a sheepish grin. "Guess that backfired pretty spectacularly."

Bruce just shook his head.

"There is one more thing, I didn't tell Alfred about it because I didn't want him to worry," I sighed, stepping a little closer to him so I could lower my voice. "Bane says there is a contract out on me. $250,000 dead, $500,000 alive. Before you say anything, let me finish," I stopped him interupting me. "He doesn't know who put it out, but he seems fairly certain that the reason it wasn't offered to him was because this person or persons didn't want us meeting. They didn't want him to know there was another version of Venom out there, possibly more experiments and research being done on it."

"Aubrey.."

"I'm not done," I kept going. " Bane told me to keep researching, he would ensure that no one collects on me. And...well, I believe him."  
Bruce's face was hard, his whiskey colored eyes sparked with anger, and something else.

"You're just telling me this now?!" he yelled.

"I understand if your angry with me..." I was having a hard time speaking. His anger was frightening.

"Angry? I am beyond angry with you! You ran off into the night to meet a man you knew was dangerous, and then you tell me someone out there is trying to kill you, but not to worry, because the killer for hire you just spoke too said he would keep them off your back. And you trust him? How niave can you be?"

I felt my own anger rising up. What right did he have to shame me like this?

"Get off your soap box Bruce! I never said I trusted him. I said I believed him, and I do! He could have killed me at any point, but he didn't. He has a vested interest in what I am investigating."

"You're no match for him Aubrey, or the people who are after you now. Why couldn't you let me help you? Why risk your life?"

"You've throttled me at every turn. Getting me the job at Wayne Enterprises so you could monitor me, keep me in the dark as long as possible. Then the file, with all it's pictures of Bane to scare me away from it. Even showing me who you really are was a power play. You thought I would just...what? Box it all up and shelf it until _you_ decided when the time was right? This is my father we are talking about, you of all people should understand that. But it doesn't matter now, because even if something happens to me, I know someone else will keep looking."

"You think he cares about your father?"

I glared at him.

"Of course not! Why are you being so cruel about this?" I felt tears begin to prick at my eyes. I hated that I was crying in front of him, but I was so mad I couldn't do anything else.

"You think I am cruel? I am nothing compared to the people you are about to go up against. Do you think Bane gives a shit if you die? He has all the information he needs now, your nothing to him."

"This was never about me!" I screamed, finally ceasing the flow of tears.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the newest. Let me know.**

I was sitting in the cafeteria at Gotham U, eating my sandwich lazily as I studied.

"Hey there!"

I looked up and saw a fit young man with short black hair and pretty blue eyes looking down at me.

"Hi," I smiled at him kindly.

"I'm Dick, mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all. I'm Aubrey," I leaned forward to move some books so he could sit.

"These are pretty advanced classes," he lifted up my organic chem book.

"What's your major?" I asked him.

"Criminal Justice, you?"

"Biochemistry, with a specialization in Toxicology."

We didn't speak anymore, and I went back to studying. But I could feel his eyes on me occasionally. My phone chirped, and then again. And again.

"I ugh, think you've got some messages," Dick spoke up.

"Hmm," I nodded, still focused on the hardest subject I had ever taken, Psychopharmacology.

"Could be an emergency," he offered.

"Maybe, but I think if it was, they would call instead of text," but I picked my phone up, using my thumb print to open it.

I read my uncle's text, asking when I would be finished, what I would like for dinner and then another one saying nevermind, he and Bruce were going to be busy for the night, and I was on my own. Not unusual. Ever since our big fight, I was barely in the mansion. I spent most of my time in the library, the Science Center Lab or at Wayne Enterprises.

"Everything good?" he asked.

"Yes. Do you have plans for this evening?" I asked, obviously surprising him.

"Ugh, no, no I don't."

"Would you like to have dinner with me?"

He studied me for a moment before he smiled.

"I'd love too."

We exchanged information and Dick knew a place nearby. We decided to meet at 6, after we were both done with classes for the day.

"So," he smiled at me. I returned it, taking a drink of my sweet tea. "Why toxicology?"

"It's a long story," I informed him.

"We've got time," he offered.

"You asked for it." I spared him no details, well, except everything about Bruce being Batman, my working relationship Bane, and the current price on my head. He listened attentively.

"Wait, wait, wait. How did you make the connection between your chemical and Bane?"

"Well it's pretty widely known that he uses a toxic chemical known as venom. And I didn't really know if there was a connection or not. It was just a gut feeling. And I went with it," I lied.

"You met with him alone?"

"Yes, he was actually very civil with me."

"That's...well a bit crazy. He could have killed you."

"But he didn't. I don't dwell on the past."

The waitress came and we ordered our food. We talked the entire time, finding several subjects we has common ground on. My phone went off and I realized it was much later than I had thought.

"It's already after 11!" I shook my head.

"Really?" Dick shook his head. "We better call it a night, I've got classes in the morning."  
"Thanks for eating with me," I smiled.

"Anytime," he got up, pulling his wallet out. I dug mine out as well, plus a little extra for the tip.

"Exchange numbers? You know, in case we want to do this again?" Dick smiled at me, phone in his hand.

"Of course," I grinned, opening my contact section. We exchanged numbers and headed for the door.

"You'll be okay getting home, right?" his blue eyes locked with mine for a moment before sliding away again. But I saw the concern there, and it made me smile.

"I will, what about you? Need a ride?"

"No, I'm good."

"See you around," I waved, heading for the parking garage across the street. I had used some of my money to purchase a 1966 Ford pickup in teal blue. It wasn't the most economical purchase, but my dad had the exact same model when I was younger. My mother sold it when he passed away, not caring in the least when I told her it was important to me.

I didn't see anyone as I headed to my room, so I assumed both my uncle and Bruce were working, as it were. I passed the large mirror and had to stop. I wasn't happy with what I saw. My chesnut hair was looking limp, boring. My makeup free skin was looking pale and blotchy. I took in my whole appearance and sighed. When did I stop putting effort into the way I looked? I was wearing a pair of old skinny jeans, white flats and my old prep school sweater. This wouldn't do.

I opened the door to my room, moving inside to set my bag down on my desk. I pulled my sweater over my head as I walked towards the bed, leaning over to turn on the lamp on my bedside table. Soft white light illuminated the room as I tossed my sweater onto the bed. I turned and froze, a startled yelp escaping me.

"Do you regularly undress the moment you enter a room?" Bane asked, standing near the large set of double windows.

"I...No, not always," I responded stupidly. He leaned forward and grabbed my sweater up. He rounded the bed slowly, and I felt my heart rate increase. What was he doing in here? And why did he come in person? He came to a stop in front of me, holding my sweater out towards me.

"Thank you," I took it and quickly slipped it over my head.

"Are you not going to ask me what I am doing here?" he seemed amused.

"I'm sorry, you have me flustered. Is everything alright?"  
"Your friend Batman has been looking for me," he began, crossing his arms. I realized several things at one time. First, he was the shadow I saw at the waterfront when Bruce came to find me. He had seen me with 'Batman'. Two, I needed to be very careful in keeping his identity secret, because Bane was far more intelligent than I had ever given him credit for. And three, he was incredibly dangerous.

"Why?"

"You and I both know Batman is Bruce Wayne," he replied casually. My face must have given it away. "I have known for years who he really is."

"This poses a problem for you," I nodded my head, doing my best to keep up. " I wish I could say I would speak with him, get him to back off. But we aren't speaking at the moment."  
He just leveled those green eyes on me and I fidgeted.

"We got into a pretty nasty fight that first night I met with you, he said some very unkind things."  
"All valid, I am sure."

"I am aware of the precarious situation I find myself in, I understand that I am no match for who may be behind this, or you for that matter. But I am not naive."

"Being aware of the situation, the danger you are in, does not mean you are not naive."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head, cut me off.

"You know you have a price on your head, and you still go about your daily life as if nothing has changed. You take the same route to and from Gotham U. Get gas at the same station, shop at the same stores. You did not even check your room properly."

He moved closer to me with every word he spoke until I was backed up against the wall. My heart was hammering in my chest as he crowded me. His green eyes never left mine as he set one hand on the wall on the left side of my head and then the other on the right. I broke eye contact, looking away from him, and that's when I spotted it.

"Are you bleeding!?" I gasped, looking at the wet spot on his jacket. I snapped my eyes back up to his.

"It's not my blood," he responded. "The boy you were with earlier, he is not who you think he is."

I quirked and eyebrow at that. Dick definitely didn't look like a _boy_. I suppose I should have known he was watching me, it made sense. But to hear it spoken, validated. It shook me a little.

"I just met Dick today and therefore haven't formed any opinion on who he is or isn't."  
"He was sent to keep an eye on you," he mused, moving away from me.

"Well I haven't had the best of luck since I moved to Gotham. Especially with people," I waved my casted left arm at him. He stopped walking, his arms falling to his sides.

"You did not tell me you were attacked."

"It was before I met you. A man calling himself the Black Mask broke in here soon after I moved in. He broke my wrist."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. He told me he was looking for Bruce, asked me some simple questions and then at the end, right before he left, he grabbed me and asked me to pass a message. Then he changed his mind and said he would do it himself. He broke my wrist and left."  
I had an appointment tomorrow to have it looked at. See if the cast needed to stay or could come off. It was itchy, ugly, and got in the way in the lab. I began to get nervous as Bane remained silent.

"I made a police report the day after it happened," I offered, not knowing if it would help.

"Who is the lead detective?" he finally spoke.

"Comissioner Gordon."

I heard Alfred then, calling for me. I threw a panicked look to Bane, who only chuckled as he moved to the window. I watched as his large frame slipped easily through it.

"Aubrey! Why weren't you answering me?" I turned towards my now open door to see Alfred standing there, hair slightly askew.

"I fell asleep, is everything alright?"

"You were out rather late tonight," he was digging.

"I had dinner with a new friend," I informed him. "Lost track of time."

"I am glad you are making friends," he smiled. "Am I to assume this new friend is male..."

I smiled and shook my head. "Good night Uncle Alfred."

He laughed and took the hint, shutting my door. I flopped down on my bed, grabbing my iPad Pro.

The cast came off, and it inspired me to act on my feelings from last night. I walked into the first salon I came across and showed my super trendy stylist some of the looks I was thinking of. He was nice, but I could tell he didn't think I could afford him. I sighed and dug into my bag and showed him the Gotham National Bank black card. It was the 'by invitation only' unlimited balance card. His attitude changed in the blink of an eye. The power of money.

I spent the entire day in the salon. By the end of it I didn't recognize myself. My chesnut hair was now skillfully balayaged to a golden blonde. I had eyelash extensions, a mani-pedi. I felt amazing, and I let it be known via my tip. My phone rang as I was leaving, smiling at the looks I was getting from passerby's on the street.

"Hello there," I cooed, feeling confidence I didn't know I had.

"Are you in Gotham? I was hoping we could..maybe grab a bite to eat? If your hungry, if not.."

"I'd love too, where were you thinking?"

I walked into the place he had first taken me to. I watched his eyes get large, before a large grin broke out on his handsome face.

"You look amazing!" he stood up from the booth quickly, knocking over his drink. I thanked him and moved to help him quickly clean up the mess.

"I don't know why I am suddenly a clutz," he sat down, his cheeks slighty pink.

 _Later that Night-_

I said my goodbyes to Dick and walked to the same parking garage across the street that I had used before.

"Black Mask is looking for you," the deep raspy voice startled me so badly I whipped around and fell on my butt. I was looking up at Bruce, or Batman. He held a hand out for me to take.

"You scared me," I exclaimed, rubbing my sore wrist. I had tried to catch myself with it when I fell. "What does he want with me?"

"I don't know yet, but you can't go back to Wayne Manor. He'll know to look for you there. I have.."

If ever there was a time... "I know where I can go, but you aren't going to like it."


End file.
